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Press Release
20 years of river and marine water quality monitoring reports published
The Environmental Protection Department has released reports on "20 Years of River Water Quality Monitoring in Hong Kong" and "20 Years of Marine Water Quality Monitoring in Hong Kong" with highlights on the long-term water quality improvement and pollution abatement work done in the past two decades.
A department spokesman said today (February 20) that the reports summarised the state of the territory's river and marine waters from 1986 to 2005 and reviewed the changes in water quality in the context of 20 years of work done by the department.
"For two decades, the department has been studying the water quality of Hong Kong's major rivers and marine areas, tracking changes from year to year. This information has proven vital for helping the Government develop strategies and initiatives to overcome some of Hong Kong's historical water pollution problems. "It has also kept the general public informed about the health of these precious natural assets," he said.
The department has also implemented effective measures to reduce pollution and improve the quality of river and marine waters in achieving conservation goals and in protecting beneficial uses of water.
The improvements of river and marine waters in Tolo Harbour and Port Shelter over the years and the eastern part of Victoria Harbour after implementation of Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) Stage 1 are particularly marked.
"But the job of improving our rivers and marine waters is not yet finished. For example, the water quality of Deep Bay and rivers in the northwest of the New Territories is still unsatisfactory," the spokesman said.
"To ensure these can be improved steadily in the future, we will need the community's support for both HATS Stage 2A and continued provision of a comprehensive sewage infrastructure in Hong Kong" he said.
Details of the reports can be obtained from the department's hompage at www.epd.gov.hk.
End/Wednesday, February 20, 2007
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